Sneak / The Brothers Bloom

Saw a screening of The Brothers Bloom last night--a film written and directed by Rian Johnson (of Brick semi-fame). It stars Adrian Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Ruffalo and will hit theatres in October 2008. It’s a dark comedy heist film, with a Wes Anderson flair, about two brothers and their super fierce Japanese accomplice Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), who’ve learned to survive in the dog-eat-dog world by performing elaborate cons that envelope their lives and blur the lines between reality and deception. Penelope (Rachel Weisz) is supposed to be their last “mark,” but she surprises both of them with her eccentric and genuine personality (the montage sequence of her obsessions with any and all hobbies is priceless--stilt walking while juggling chain saws anyone?). Needless to say, everything goes wrong and the brothers have to change their con and their lives because of her. I liked most of the film, but the cons-upon-cons became too much at the end and I literally did not know how the movie ended. It left me with a lot of questions, but not in that profound kind of way. Hopefully before October they can iron out the convolution. It’s a fun film, though, and I think it’ll be successful. Also, if nothing else, see it for Weisz; she’s absolutely fantastic and I think I have a lezzie crush now…